Saturday, November 27, 2010

There's something that must be done when you find yourself craving hot chocolate on a daily basis. The only answer is to make yourself some hot chocolate, immediately. When you have milk in your refrigerator and chocolate in your pantry, there really is no excuse not to do so.

Thank gosh, finally, the weather has finally caught up with the season. It's been cold with grey skies and light drizzles - basically, my dream weather. You don't understand how long I've been waiting for it to be winter weather, or better put, how long my closet has been waiting! Coats, jackets, boots and gloves finally get their day to shine outside of my four walls. Yipee!

This lavender scented hot chocolate was yummy. Super rich, filled with great chocolate flavor and just a hint of flowery lavender. But if you don't fancy lavender - I wouldn't suggest it, as it's a love or hate kind of thing. I wouldn't have this hot chocolate every day since it is really rich, but it is a nice indulgent treat for every once and a while. My favorite part is when the whipped cream mixes with the hot chocolate to make a frothy little concoction that is impossible to resist.

A well paired treat to a wintery cold day! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! My family had bunches of food galore and of course lots of desserts ;)

Notes: since the lavender is fragrant, adjust the amount according to your preference. For a creamier hot chocolate, a 1:1 ratio or dark to milk chocolate can be used.

For the hot chocolate:

2 cups whole milk

3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cacao)

1 oz. milk chocolate

1/4 tsp. lavender buds

For the whipped cream:

1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract or seeds from 1/4 of a vanilla bean pod

1/2 tbsn. sugar

For the whipped cream, place the cold cream, vanilla and sugar into a cold mixing bowl. Beat the mixture with a whisk or mixer until stiff peaks form. Keep refrigerated until ready for use. For the hot chocolate, beat the milk and lavender over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the milk begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and let the lavender steep for 5 minutes. Strain the lavender and return the milk to the saucepan. Over medium heat, add the chocolate and mix until the chocolate is melted and incorporated. Whisk the milk mixture for 10 - 20 seconds or until frothy. Pour into a large mug and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

It sounds and looks utterly amazing..but, I can't eat lavender type foods.. I tried but I can't get the smell/image out of my mouth that I clean with lavender based sprays...still, if I could, I bet I'd love it.

Looks delicious! I might just forgo the lavender garnish myself, however. Reminds me of when I made hot buttered rum and there were whole cloves in the butter. I bit down on one of those and it nearly ruined the whole thing!

Not that lavender buds are nearly as strongly flavored- but now I'm a little shy with my partially edible garnishes and aromatics!

Just reading your blog makes me hungry. I was looking for a Lavender Hot Chocolate recipe and found yours. I posted a link to your post and I was wondering if I could also post your macaroon recipe? Let me know. Thanks, ~ Carli The Lavender Lady

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About This Blog.

Part of this blog will be dedicated to my adventures and misadventures in food. Let's just say I'm a girl who knows how to eat. I love to experiment with new recipes and new restaurants so this blog is just a way to share my journeys in food with whomever is interested.

The other part will be my random rants about music that I enduringly and currently love. Just me, doing my part in spreading the joy of good music to those willing to listen.

I guess I really should add an unending amount of other senses since I have actually delved into more topics than as stated by the latter but oh well. I'm interested in a lot of things, so you all will just have to deal with my inconsistencies...